Police ID officers involved in shooting of Hurlock man

A police pursuit ended Sunday with an Ocean View officer struck by an SUV and a suspect shot, police said.
Produced by Ryan Marshall

The Ocean View Police Department and Worcester County Sheriff's Office released the names of the officers involved in the chase and shooting on Monday.

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A police pursuit involving units from multiple jurisdictions ended on Pine Grove Lane in Ocean View on the night of March 18. These tire ruts were created when the suspect tried to escape in a black SUV after ramming an Ocean View officer's car.(Photo: Staff photo by Doug Ferrar)Buy Photo

Police periodically lost track of Short, but were able to locate him from the abandoned stolen vehicles with help from K-9 units. Officers responded to a burglary in Bishopville, Maryland, where Short fled in a black Infinity, police said.

Harrington and Rhode were pursuing a black Infinity sports utility vehicle as it drove down Burbage Road and crossed over Windmill Drive onto Pine Grove Lane, which is a dead end street, police said.

Short then came to a stop at the end of the road and accelerated backward at a high speed directly into the front of Harrington's marked patrol vehicle, pushing it off the roadway, police said. Short continued backing at a high rate of speed almost striking Rhode's sheriff's vehicle and smashed into a mailbox, stopping momentarily.

Police said Short then drove the SUV into an empty residential lot, then turned around and began driving toward Rhode, who was standing outside his vehicle in the driveway of the lot. Harrington was able to exit his patrol vehicle and run up to where Rhode was standing as the SUV accelerated toward the two law enforcement officers, who were yelling commands to stop.

Harrington and Rhode fired multiple rounds at the Infinity before the driver came to a stop, police said.

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A police pursuit involving units from multiple jurisdictions ended on Pine Grove Lane in Ocean View on the night of March 18. This driveway was damaged as a suspect in a stolen SUV attempted to elude police on this dead end street.(Photo: Staff photo by Doug Ferrar)

Police removed Short from the SUV and administered first aid until emergency medical services could transport him to Christiana.

Delaware State Police detectives are still working with the state attorney general's office, but possible charges may include assault on a police officer, reckless endangerment, possession of a deadly weapon and multiple moving citations in both states, Fournier sad.

The Ocean View Police Department and Worcester County Sheriff's Office released the names of the officers on Monday.

Harrington, a five-year veteran, was transported to Beebe Hospital where he was treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries he sustained during the incident, police said. Rhode, a nine-year veteran, was uninjured in the incident.

Records located on the Maryland Judiciary Case Search show Short has a lengthy history of interactions with the state's criminal justice system in Dorchester County. Short was first charged in 2008 in Dorchester County District Court with providing false statements to police, although online records do not show how the case was decided.

In 2012, records show Short pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and theft between $10,000 and $100,000 in value. A Dorchester County judge sentenced him to serve eight years in prison on the charges, followed by five years of probation. DelmarvaNow.com is still working to confirm Short's parole date.

Short entered an Alford Plea in February 2016 to theft between $1,000 and $10,000 in value, in exchange for prosecutors dropping another theft and fourth-degree burglary charge, according to case search records. He was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison, with all but three months and 12 days suspended.